The Nintendo Game Boy revolutionized handheld gaming, captivating generations with its simplicity, portability, and iconic games like Tetris and Pokémon, leaving a legacy spanning decades.
Pocket Power: The Game Boy's Legendary Journey
- Thread starter Amir Shoam
- Start date
A fantastic article. I remember watching the power LED brightness to see how much longer my 4 AA batteries would last. I still frequently play an extensively modified GBA.
Tetris
Kirby's Pinball Land
Balloon Kid
Pokemon (All)
Link's Awakening
Tetris
Kirby's Pinball Land
Balloon Kid
Pokemon (All)
Link's Awakening
I still have mine - use it to play Tetris and it's the best 
I got the battery pack attachment so didn't have to burn through AA batteries...
I got the battery pack attachment so didn't have to burn through AA batteries...
BobDolesGhost
Posts: 85 +110
When I was 10'ish, my dad won a gameboy as a door prize at some company after hour social event. I saw him the next morning, playing Tetris on the couch. My dad then no longer had a game boy lol ( <3 Dad, miss ya ). It was probably worth it to him to cease my sister and I fighting in the car on trips. Well, reduce fighting. We still had to fight about whose turn with the gameboy it was.
A few years later I was visiting my cousin and in the car, she pulled out her shiny Sega GameGear. Holy crap that thing was graphically amazing especially at that era. I had a Sega Genesis and love some Sonic. Playing Sonic in the car on that trip filled me with raging envy haha. Since I never had one, I didn't experience the exceptionally short battery life. But for what that thing could do - even 2hrs playtime would have been worth it still. Very impressive hand held console
A few years later I was visiting my cousin and in the car, she pulled out her shiny Sega GameGear. Holy crap that thing was graphically amazing especially at that era. I had a Sega Genesis and love some Sonic. Playing Sonic in the car on that trip filled me with raging envy haha. Since I never had one, I didn't experience the exceptionally short battery life. But for what that thing could do - even 2hrs playtime would have been worth it still. Very impressive hand held console
LetTheWookieWin
Posts: 200 +399
Great article, thanks for the trip down memory lane.
Tetris and Mario Land 2 were great, but Metroid 2 was my favorite. It had the feel of the original while adding the concepts of save points and new items like the sticky ball where you could climb walls.
I’ll also second the author’s note about the stereo sound from headphones. It was really noticeable in Metroid 2 and Castlevania: The Adventure. I still fire up the soundtrack for those from YouTube occasionally:
https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF2101F8A7650A7A9
Tetris and Mario Land 2 were great, but Metroid 2 was my favorite. It had the feel of the original while adding the concepts of save points and new items like the sticky ball where you could climb walls.
I’ll also second the author’s note about the stereo sound from headphones. It was really noticeable in Metroid 2 and Castlevania: The Adventure. I still fire up the soundtrack for those from YouTube occasionally:
https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF2101F8A7650A7A9
airbornex
Posts: 188 +228
They called it monochrome, but let’s be real: those greenish-gray pixels were pure magic. Kids today with OLED screens will never know the struggle of playing in the backseat with streetlights as your only savior.
Wow, this article is soooo similar to one I read yesterday:
https://mentalitch.com/take-a-deep-dive-into-the-history-of-handheld-game-consoles/
https://mentalitch.com/take-a-deep-dive-into-the-history-of-handheld-game-consoles/
You mean, the Internet has another article about handheld gaming? I thought mine was the first ever.
Megalomaniac
Posts: 132 +136
I still have my original Game Boy, Game Gear and Game Boy SP. I still have a bunch of cartridges. All of them work.
What always bothered me was that Nintendo took their sweet time to put a backlight and color into the Game Boy while Sega had it in Game Gear. I had my Game Boy as soon as it launched with Super Mario Land, Tetris, and a few other games. That was 1990. Game Gear launched like a year later. Yet, it took Game Boy till 1998 to release Game Boy Color while they nickel and dimed us with poorly designed backlights and magnifying lenses.
Game Gear was so much easier to use that even my mom enjoyed playing Columns on it (now it's Candy Crush clones). Even had a TV Tuner and Master System game adapter.
I got a lot of fun out of my Game Boy SP which was the total package, but I feel like Nintendo could have given us the SP much earlier.
What always bothered me was that Nintendo took their sweet time to put a backlight and color into the Game Boy while Sega had it in Game Gear. I had my Game Boy as soon as it launched with Super Mario Land, Tetris, and a few other games. That was 1990. Game Gear launched like a year later. Yet, it took Game Boy till 1998 to release Game Boy Color while they nickel and dimed us with poorly designed backlights and magnifying lenses.
Game Gear was so much easier to use that even my mom enjoyed playing Columns on it (now it's Candy Crush clones). Even had a TV Tuner and Master System game adapter.
I got a lot of fun out of my Game Boy SP which was the total package, but I feel like Nintendo could have given us the SP much earlier.
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